E-News from the Methodist Church (Easter 2018)

The President and Vice-President’s Easter message

In their Easter message, the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference focus on the Resurrection.

The Revd Lorraine N Mellor reflects on the song I can only imagine, which reminds her of the first Easter morning when the women went to the tomb and discovered what had happened.

She says: “No resurrection erases the tragedy of the Cross. Nothing erases the violence and the horror of Good Friday … But, it is now time to rejoice and to smile and for our faces to display hope, for the tragedy of the Cross could not shut holy love out of the world.”

Lorraine invites to consider what our reaction will be to the Resurrection when we wake up on Easter morning.

Living in Glasgow, the Vice-President Jill Baker has spent a lot of the year travelling. She uses that image to think about Jesus’ journey to the cross and beyond, along with the journey of his disciples and friends, including the women who accompanied him.

She asks: “What are you waiting for at this point in your journey of life or of faith? What are we waiting for, or hoping for in our congregations, circuits, districts, in the Connexion? “

And then offers the response: “After … waiting and watching, we will be ready for the sun to rise in splendour, ready for a dawn of unimaginable glory to break.”

You can read Lorraine and Jill’s message in full here.

Prayers for Kemerovo

The President of the Methodist Conference, the Revd Loraine N Mellor, and the Vice-President, Jill Baker, have called for all Methodists to pray for those affected by the fire in the Siberian coal-mining city of Kemerovo this week.

Sisters and brothers in Christ,

at this time of death and parting,

we are confident that God knows us

   and is with us.

As we seek the strength and comfort of God,

let us bring our confusion and sorrow,

our anger and pain, and lay them before God.  

God of infinite compassion,

look in love on those who mourn.

Be their support and strength

   that they may trust in you.

And be delivered out of their distress;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Brave New World?

“Faithful living in a time of time” was the subtitle of the Joint Public Issues Team’s Brave New World? conference held earlier in March.

It featured a conversation between Stella Creasy MP and the journalist Peter Oborne, and a presentation on subversive wisdom from the Revd Sally Foster-Fulton, head of Christian Aid Scotland. There were also poems offered by the day’s poet in residence Lucy Berry.

You can listen to an audio of the day and watch a video recording people’s reactions here.

Death and dying

A range of resources has been produced by the Methodist Church for those seeking guidance on the subjects of death and dying. The subject is a difficult and, for some, disturbing one; and yet death is an inevitable part of everyone’s life. It is also deeply individual: experiences will differ in so many ways.

Whilst these are intended for all, the resources recognise that Christian faith has something distinctive and hopeful to offer in the face of death and grief.

CCLI

Copyright can be a complex area for churches and expensive to get wrong. You can find out more about what requires copyright here. Details of the copyrighted content of Singing the Faith, along with information on appropriate licences, can be found on Singing the Faith plus.

Methodist-Anglican Covenant

Following debate at February’s General Synod, the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission will now undertake further refinement and clarification on proposals that would see the Church of England and the Methodist Church enter into a relationship of communion and enable an interchange of their presbyteral ministries.

Read more about the proposals here.

Faith in Politics podcast

Episode 2 from the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) features an interview with Stephen Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham and Faith Envoy for the Labour Party. The Reverend Leao Neto joins Helen and Rachel for the Monthly Musing and they welcome JPIT intern Madalena Leao to discuss the weekly news.

Listen now on iTunes or, if you’re an Android user, search ‘Faith in Politics’ on your podcast app. Alternatively, you can listen here.

Thy Kingdom Come

Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement that began in the Church of England in 2016. The Methodist Church in Britain is now a partner in the initiative. A range of resources and kits are available here.

You can share your faith stories with the Methodist Church on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Keep an eye out for #Pledge2Pray videos on social media. Many members of the Methodist family have taken part in these promotional videos. Will you #Pledge2Pray?

Methodist Conference

The 2018 Methodist Conference meets in Nottingham. Tickets for the Opening of the Representative Session on Saturday 30 June, and for Reception into Full Connexion and Conference Worship on Sunday 1 July, will be available from the Conference website from Monday 9 April.

You can also order tickets for the ordination services from the same place.